As Things Collide
by Taryn Knight
Summary: Rei is awoken one night by a storm... or maybe it was the pounding on her door... quite a surprise awaits her when she opens it, one that will send her life spinning on a course where collision is inevitable.
1. Teaser

_**It happened without warning...**_

_  
_The pounding echoed painfully through Reiís ears. Her headache had been bad, and this... this just made it ten times worse. Who was knocking at her door at two in the morning?

She bet it was Usagi, coming to cry on her shoulder because Mamoru had made fun of her or Shingo had eaten the last of her sweets...

_-They say that order breeds chaos...- _

He had fallen into a heap at her feet. In a moment of empathy, or perhaps sheer stupidity, she knelt down and began the tedious process of dragging the limp, heavy body into her house.

_**It only took a moment...**_

_  
_Lightening lit up the jet black sky, sending shadows to dance across the wall of Reiís apartment briefly. Only hours before she had been outside, gazing into what was now a mass of clouds, counting the stars as they sparkled like diamonds just out of reach.

It just went to prove how everything could change in the blink of an eye.

"Aren't you going to tell me who you are?' Rei asked. The man who sat across from her on the couch was silent for a few seconds. A sigh was heaved, a response given.

"No."

_-From chaos conflict rises, like a phoenix from the ashes...- _

_**For Fate to speak...**_

_  
_"I love you!" she yelled causing the retreating figure to stop dead.

"You can't!" he replied at last, and just as fiercely as she had expressed her true feelings. He refused to turn around, he couldn't bare the thought of seeing her upset.

"Why? Tell me why!" she screamed at him, on the verge of tears. Rei didn't understand it, why couldn't she love him? Why was he so scared to let her in? She just wanted to walk right up to him and hit him until he said he loved her back, until he took her in his arms and kissed her.

She might have been cynical and catty by nature... but she had her own inner desires, and the fairy tale life Usagi had dropped at her feet was one Rei had always yearned to experience.

_**Star crossed love...**_

_  
_"Don't underestimate me, Korru!"

"I never have," he said, his lips twitching slightly as he resisted the urge to smile. She was a little hellion. He had never thought in a million years that he would feel this strongly for her.

His words caught Rei off guard and all she could do was stare at him a moment. She didn't know how she was going to get it through to him! She couldnít even explain it to herself, the intensity of the feelings that roared through her.

"Why won't you come back with me? Let me help you?"

"You wouldn't understand," he replied.

"Try me," Rei snapped back, "You'd be surprised." She was getting rather irritated and it was definitely beginning to show.

"I can't" There are things! I have... secrets."

"Things?" she stared at him a moment and decided to move to the next topic... nothing came to mind to counter 'things'. "Everyone has secrets!"

"Mine will get you killed."

_**Destinies Intertwined...**_

**_  
_**"I told you to leave," he murmured lifting his gaze to look at the raven haired woman who refused to see reason.

"You tell me to do a lot of things," Rei replied placing both hands defiantly upon her hips. "What gave you the idea I would start listening now?" She was quite serious, her chin had tilted a bit allowing her to get the maximum glare-effect.

"I donít know how you do it," Korru said with the faintest of grins. Rei thought this an odd gesture, considering the circumstances but she didnít comment.

"Do what?" she asked at last, deciding that taking the bait was better than standing there glaring at each other all night.

_**As Things Collide...**_

"Rei don"t do this alone, let us help," Usagi pleaded. Rei wanted more then anything to let her come, to let all of her friends come, but this wasnít their mission. She couldn't allow them to risk their lives for something they didn't, and never would, understand. Hell, she didn't understand what or why she was doing it.

_For love._

The thought nagged at the back of her mind as she walked away.

"I can't let you," she said softly, understanding at last why he had tried so many times to push her away.


	2. Strangers

Rei looked down at her watch. She was late again, that was no surprise. Usagi was never on time, at least, not in this reality.

She continued to pace the food court, but frustration was quickly mounting. Not so much directed at Usagi, but at life in general. The whole purpose for this 'day out' was to get her out of this slump she  
was in.

If only Minako hadn't gotten that date, maybe she wouldn't feel so horrible right now.

It had been a stupid contest to enter to begin with, but if they had both lost it would have been okay! Because they could have complained about it together, made fun of whoever it was that had won, and life would go on.

But no, Minako had to win. Minako had to be out on a date with one of the hottest new pop-stars on the face of the planet. Minako, Minak--oof!

Rei stumbled back a step or two, cringing when she felt cold liquid seeping through her shirt.

"Gomen, gomen," the perpetrator was repeating over and over. He was frantically trying to find a place to set his half-empty cup down so he could get a towel or some napkins.

Rei looked down to see the extent of the damage... orange soda on her white shirt, just perfect! "Please, don't worry about it, accidents happen," Rei said, looking at the man again. Her gaze paused and it was all she could do to keep her mouth from dropping open. He was absolutely perfect, if a little clumsy. Things like that could be overlooked.

"I'm really sorry, miss," he stated again. He advanced with some towels to dry her off. Rei was captivated for a moment. He had the most amazing blue eyes... and that frown, it was so... adorable!

Before he had a chance to get any closer, Rei took the towels from him, never taking her eyes off his face as she wiped at her shirt. Minako was going to be so jealous when she found out.

"Um, miss, the stain is..." he motioned with a finger to a spot closer to her shoulder. Rei blinked and looked down in surprise. A nervous laugh escaped her.

"So it is," she replied. She lifted the towel to her shoulder and began to mop up as much of the soda as she could. "I'm Rei."

"It's a pleasure," he said with a smile. "My name's--"

"Himiko!"

Himiko's gaze shifted from Rei to another woman who was hurrying towards them. A smile grew on his face.

"What happened, Himiko?" she asked, nearly breathless as she came to a stop beside him.

"An accident, this is Rei," he said motioning towards her. "Rei, this is my wife, Aikyo."

Rei's entire world came crashing down in one fell swoop. She was fighting hard not to scream.

"It's a... a pleasure," she said as her eyes tried to find something to focus on. "I have to go." She threw the towel onto a table and hurried off. This had been a bad idea; apparently getting a boyfriend  
was not in the cards never mind finding 'Mr. Right'.

"I'm sorry, Usagi, something came up," Rei spoke softly into the phone as her friend went on and on about getting to the mall and being worried when Rei had been no where in sight. Finally, Rei had had enough. "Maybe if you had been there on time, this wouldn't be a problem."

It was true! If Usagi had gotten there when she was supposed to, Rei never would have bumped into Himiko and she wouldn't feel like total, utter crap right now.

Usagi was crying.

"I'm sorry, Usagi," Rei said slightly exasperated. The girl was just too sensitive. "I just... I didn't feel well, I'm going to go lay down again."

Without waiting for a response Rei hung up the phone and pushed it away. She rolled over so she didn't have to stare out the window at the bright, sunshiny day. A pillow found its way over her head when a cheerful bird decided that her open window was the perfect place to chirp a happy tune.

Rei woke with a start. Her bedroom was dark and the bird had long since gone to sleep for the evening.

She sat up and looked at the clock.

Two-thirty-three.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she tried to figure out what had woken her up. The temple was silent save for a few animal noises that drifted in from the surrounding trees. Her stomach growled and she settled the debate with hunger being the culprit.

Toes curled slightly when her bare feet hit the cold wooden floor. When had she taken her socks off? It didn't matter.

She wandered from the bedroom into a small sitting room and then into the kitchen. The red light on her answering machine that indicated she had a message was blinking at her. Had she slept through the phone ringing? She pushed play and moved across the small space to the  
fridge.

"Konnichi'wa, Rei-chan!"

It was Usagi.

"You must've left again, or are sleeping and didn't hear the phone. Me and the others are going to meet at Mako's place in a little while if you wanna come! Ja!"

"The others and I," Rei grumbled as she pulled out some leftovers. She popped open the microwave and slid the plate inside.

She pushed the start button and watched the plate rotate within for a moment, quite lost in thought.

A sharp knock on the door brought her snapping back to reality. A frown formed as she peered from the kitchen doorway towards the front door. Who the hell was knocking at two-thirty in the morning?

Rei groaned. She bet it was Usagi; the girl probably had a fight with Mamoru. Or maybe it was Minako and she had come to gloat about her wonderful date.

Another knock and she rolled her eyes. "Hold on! I'm coming!" She called irritably.

She opened the door, speaking all the while. "What in the world ar--" she stopped short when she was greeted, not by one of her friends but a rather large man leaning with one hand resting against the side of her home. He looked as though he had been through hell.

"Can I help you?" she asked, ready to slam the door closed at the first sign of hostility.

"Water," he grunted before his hand slipped and he went crashing forward. Rei had two options. She could move and let him hit the floor, or she could attempt to catch him- which would more then likely send them both crashing down.

She had spent just a little too long pondering and soon had the weight of a full grown man pressing down on her.

"Damn it," she growled struggling to keep her knees from buckling. Why her? It took her a good ten minutes but she managed to drag the man into her living room and dumped him on the couch. "Why me?"

She was tempted to call the others and get them all over there. If she had to be awake and grumpy, they should too. However, she didn't. She sunk to sit in a plush arm chair and watched her strange visitor a moment or two.

In the light of the living room she could make out his features. He wasn't as old as she had originally thought, though far be it for her to even guess how old he might be. His hair was dark, sort of  
blue-black depending on how the light hit it. Obviously she couldn't see his eyes because those were closed.

Who was he? Where had he come from? Was he a local or visiting? None of these questions could be answered and that frustrated her. She wasn't feeling terribly patient at the moment, not that she usually was. Tonight, however, she was at the end of her rope.

He shifted a bit, rolling a little to close to the edge of that sofa and went crashing to the floor with a loud thud. Rei leapt to her feet. If he got any louder he was going to wake--

"Rei-chan? Is everything all right in there?"

"Yes, Grandpa," she replied, kneeling down next to the fallen man. "Everything is fine! I... tripped."

"All right... well try to keep it down, I need my beauty sleep." The voice fading away as her Grandpa returned to his room.

"See what you did?" she muttered, gaze shifting from the doors to the man on the floor. "I'd hate to see how much noise you'll make when you're awake."

"Give me a minute," he groaned, causing Rei to jump in surprise. "I'll show you."


End file.
